Patch Candidate Profile: John Lucas, Brookfield Treasurer

BROOKFIELD, CT — The 2023 municipal election is heating up in Danbury and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Danbury Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Brookfield town treasurer John Lucas, 49, is running for re-election. He has 20-plus years finance and investment management experience, and holds a bachelor's degree in finance from Western Connecticut State University and an MBA from Louisiana State University. Lucas and his wife have two children in their sophomore year at Brookfield High School.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

Yes, town treasurer of Brookfield since December 2015 election, re-elected in 2019.

Why are you seeking this office?

To continue the progress in tightening our financial controls, enhanced checks and balances and working for intelligent, conservative fiscal management.

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is _____, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Overall trust and access to accurate information - I plan to continue my efforts to educate and inform my fellow residents in any way I am able to.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Experience, proven track record, relevant investment management skillset and legacy knowledge of where we have been and what has happened to be where we are at today. I've served as the consistent presence through two first selectmen of both political party administrations, four controllers, and at least three school finance directors and understand exactly where our continued areas of focus should be and how to enact additional improvements.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

Work for more open and transparent reporting of our finances and continued focus on our fiscal direction.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Worked with the Finance team to eliminate multiple decades long deficiencies in our annual fiscal audit, maximized our interest earnings at our banks by restructuring our accounts, untangled years of poor accounting and early in my term, worked to understand and correct the $3.3 million dollars missing from our general fund, explored and corrected the deletion of hundreds of checks from our accounting database, working closely with the current Town Controller to implement checks and balances and other reviews in areas there were none, worked with Board of Education to report revenues in their budget presentation documents, and with the School's Finance Department to identify and transfer district funds to the School general fund and out of the Student Activity Fund on a go-forward basis. There have been many changes implemented throughout my last 8 years, especially with the help of the Town Controller, the dedicated individuals on the Finance team, and of course the elected members of the Board of Finance - all parts of the machine to ensure we stay on course.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Trust but verify…

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I want to continue my work for everyone in Town, regardless of their affiliation, we all benefit from the right people in these roles.